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Zoë Kravitz is a beauty risk-taker—not everyone can pull off an undercut or a platinum pixie, after all. Beloved as both a musician and an actress (hello, Bonnie Carlson of Big Little Lies) the former ELLE cover girl has also made her mark in the beauty world as YSL's Global Makeup Ambassador since July 2017. We caught up with Kravitz at the YSL Beauty Hotel pop-up in New York City to dive into more of her routine—and break down her most memorable beauty looks—ahead.
Describe your everyday beauty look.
Touche Éclat to even my skin out, I don't really wear foundation on a daily basis because I wear so much for work, but it's a great way to even the skin out, and brighten under the eyes. I use Couture Brow Mascara, I always love filling in the brow and giving it a bit of shape. I love a little bit of highlighter on the cheeks and the nose, so I use Glow Shot. And then, either a gloss or a lip.
What is the best tip you've learned from a makeup artist?
The one thing I'm into that [my makeup artist] Nina Park taught me is putting on your highlighter before your foundation. If you're not putting on super heavy foundation, it peeks through. Then, you can still add it on top but there's a glow underneath.
What is one of your biggest beauty faux pas?
[My brows] were really thin—I plucked them quite thin when I was maybe 14. I came home and my mom was devastated! She really tore into me and told me if I ever touch my eyebrows again, she'd kill me. If you do it too much, they don't grow back. I got really lucky. I'm glad she yelled at me.
What are your favorite beauty services?
I like massages, but I want to be hurt! I want someone to really fix my back. I don't like being softly touched for two hours, so if you have someone that's great and can actually adjust you, I love that. And, I get facials. In New York, I got to Christine Chin, And in LA, I go to Terri Lawton who is wonderful. I think facials are really important to clean out your skin, especially if you travel a lot.
How does your beauty routine change when you travel?
It becomes more minimal. You don't have all the big compacts. You have your essentials: foundations, moisturizers, and I bring one blush or lipstick, or a lipstick that I can also use as a blush which is really fun. I love when the lip and cheek are the same color.
How important is skincare to your beauty routine?
If you're not eating well or drinking enough water, or getting enough sleep, makeup can only do so much for you. It has to start with taking care of your body first.
What do you do for self care?
Trying to drink enough water is such a huge thing. I really don't. Sometimes I'll realize it's five o'clock and I've had the tiniest glass of water. I try to go to the gym or at least walk and move my body around. I try eating well—making sure you're eating greens or steamed veggies, or stuff that doesn't have a lot of oil or chemicals. But if you want to go to McDonald's every once in a while, do it! But it's about clean food that hasn't been processed.
How has your beauty routine evolved through the years?
There was a time when I could go to sleep at four in the morning after drinking all night and wake up and feel fine, and now I just don't feel that way. Also, the level of the products I'm using are better for my skin and the makeup is a little bit more sophisticated.
Ahead, Kravitz breaks down some of her recent memorable beauty looks.
February 2017
"I was doing the undercut while my hair was black as well. It really started because sometimes the braiding takes so long, I'm like, if I cut off half my hair, I won't have to sit as long to get these braids done! I did it also for the first season of Big Little Lies and I thought it was something Bonnie would have. I kept it with the blonde. I thought it was cool."
May 2017
!["Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala - Sightings](https://cdn.statically.io/img/hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-675778938-1536702628.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center ""Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art Of The In-Between" Costume Institute Gala - Sightings")
"At the Met Gala, we were really inspired by Audrey Hepburn for this look: the brows and the shape of the eye. We kind of went for a classic Hollywood thing. The Oscar de La Renta gown was so beautiful so we went for a girlier, peach-y, pink-y lip."
July 2017
"I like when it looks as if you're wearing no makeup: dewy skin, some highlighter, simple. The brown shadow is nice because it gives a little bit of definition without it looking to makeup-y.
Platinum hair is something I've always wanted to do. Whenever I see someone with platinum hair it's so striking, so I took the plunge. Upkeep is such a bummer. I always feel my hair doesn't grow, and then once you bleach your hair you realize your hair is always growing, and you're like, 'NO!' So, it was hard to do. You can't dye it every week because your hair will fall out, so you have to wait so have a certain amount of space. It is a lot of work."
November 2017
"I just did [the upcoming film] Fantastic Beasts and that's really fun because it's so different from me and it's also a period piece. It's drastic and fun, and the clothes are amazing. The combination of being in the early '30s and being a wizard is dope. It's crazy. They hand you a wand! You go to Hogwarts! J.K. Rowling is on the set!"
February 2018
"This is actually during the Black Opium shoot which we shot in Bangkok and Tokyo. The whole vibe is dangerous, late night, kind of rock and roll, so we thought a smoky eye would be fun. It's always a sexy thing to do. It kind of looks like the bottle—we were inspired by that, the dark black with a little sparkle."
March 2018
"I feel a little bit more vulnerable when I have short hair because I feel my face is very exposed. It feels like I have nothing to hide behind, but I also love it. It's so easy. I love a red lip. too. I think it's classic and classes everything up. I love YSL shade and the new version the Couture Slim. The texture is really nice and velvety."
May 2018
"I wanted to go minimal at this year's Met Gala and shape my face more and not have so much color, especially because the dress, the earrings and the bow were so much. It's nice to have an understated face."
July 2018
"Nina [Park] and I have been doing this cat-eye lately that comes more from the bottom half of your eye. It's a little bit different, a little more subtle, I think it gives a really nice lift to the eye."
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